DON JOHNSON AND MY DEAD UNCLE
In the paper today I came upon some shocking TV news. No, not that Felicity Huffman won an Emmy, but that my late Uncle Grant has been "immortalized" by having his name attached to the character Don Johnson plays on a new fall show on the WB. HOW DARE THEY!
Here's Uncle Grant, Grant Cooper, Esq., prestigious L.A. lawyer, during one of his more notable trials:
Uh-huh. That's him defending Sirhan Sirhan, poised for historical fame (along with his client) on the cover of Life Magazine. How dare they, I ask? Well, easily. Neither Uncle Grant nor his still living family members can either sue or explain away the coincidence. Don Johnson is not playing an upright "Law and Order" type, see. Grant Cooper on the WB is a semi-burnout who hopes to revive his flagging career with some young blood. Or plot lines to that effect. The WB had to stick in a youngster to appeal to their pimple-faced demographic.

Some people in the UFO field (maybe that's you, and you...!) have tried to shed suspicion on me because I am related to what some have called a notorious Mob lawyer. OK, so he defended Johnny Roselli, or Lucky Luciano, one of 'em, in the 1950s Friars Club scandal. One of those ducktail-era Italian homeboys gave him a new Cadillac as his fee. My mother told me this. What she failed to tell me and what I had to find out on my own is that Uncle Grant was popped for --gosh -- was it stealing Grand Jury testimony? And now, Sirhan's present lawyer pretty much outlines Uncle Grant's egregious bungling of the assassination case. Woe be Sirhan.

Did I know any of this as a little girl? Nada! You know what I remember? Uncle Grant and his wife had a big house with a swimming pool. I joyously swam in the pool with my cousins. I thought my Uncle smart and handsome, like my Dad. When he defended Sirhan and brought a measure of perverse celebrity to our family, I reveled in my Uncle providing the alleged killer his right as an American citizen.

All along I figured Sirhan Sirhan was the lone assassin of RFK. Not necessarily now.

In my files I have a letter of commendation from the City of Los Angeles honoring Uncle Grant. And now I have a son who's a lawyer, who's adroitly and shrewdly avoided criminal law. Get real, people. There are a million stories in the big city. Uncle Grant's mob connections and controversial reputation comprise only one of them. And I still like Don Johnson. But tonight I'm watching the premiere of this season's "Vegas," a city I love and that wouldn't be, were it not for some Mob ingenuity!

DO PETS HAVE KARMA?

I seriously considered what I would have done if I was trapped on a roof in Louisiana and National Guard rescuers told me I had to leave Buckwheat behind or not come with them at all to be shipped to certain safety.

I cannot see abandoning a loved one, regardless of species. Yes, I have just as much compassion for people trapped and abandoned. But people are neither as unconditionally loving nor as so totally dependent on their own or other species for sheer survival. They're very little different than children: helpless, precious, beloved, irreplaceable.

If you've looked for somewhere to specifically assist these creatures who are also Katrina's hapless victims, try HERE.

For some cogent and enlightened commentary on people, tragedy, and human integrity,
go HERE.